


Weave a flower crown

by amako



Series: Dead leaves and Withered Flowers [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Agender Character, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Oh God Shisui No, Team as Family, Trust, the kids are so precious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 12:59:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13571070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amako/pseuds/amako
Summary: Shisui is about five when he first meets Shikaichi.





	Weave a flower crown

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe how long it took me to write this shit. At least it's done now. It terms of timeline, it starts before Withered Flowers and ends around chapters 11-12.
> 
> A huge thank you to [ Jabberwockyface](http://jabberwockyface.tumblr.com/) for her amazing art. This is what they'll look like in Withered Flower's sequel, when they're both around 25.

Shisui is about five when he first meets Shikaichi. He's walking around the Uchiha Compound, wondering once again why they're so far away from Konoha now and not understanding one bit of the spat out words directed at him when he gets too close to the civilian children on the playground. The women at the daycare are pretty nice but he feels so detached from the other kids, playing with paint on their chubby hands while he's handling kunai and shuriken, throwing explosive parchments into the logs at the training grounds.

It feels like he's growing without them, too fast for the others to catch up and too far away for them to be close anyway. He's doing his best though, teaching the older kids how to throw the weapons properly, no matter that he's not supposed to or that the academy teachers always ask him not to show how much smarter than them all he is. He tries not to frown when they say that it's not a problem, they're not mad, but it might get him some discontentment from the other kids if he shows how far ahead he is.

So Shisui walks around, wanders in places he knows no one comes and trains again, and again. The forest behind the Uchiha Compound is empty, most of the clan being at the introducing ceremony of the Clan Head's heir, born a year ago. Shisui is not required to attend, mostly because he doesn't have any parents to go with and the caretakers have too much work to watch over him when he's already independent enough to go around on his own.

Shisui loves the forest, the huge trees casting dark shadows over the paths crawling their way between the large trunks. He plays hide and seek with the darkness, trying to only travel by patches of sunlight. The teachers have noticed how fast he is and try to give him exercises to improve his growing ability. He can already outrun most of the older kids, but that's only using his legs and slender frame. That's not what he wants, not really. He saw the Yellow Flash move, though, and has never really managed to get the image out of his head. One day he'll be the new Flash of Konoha.

He's about to jump on a nearby trunk where sunlight is drawing a pear shape when he hears a distressed cry. Shisui looks around but he's all alone, like he's used to in this part of the forest. Chakra detection is far from being his forte, but he closes his eyes and concentrates as hard as he can. A bead of sweat rolls down his temple when he suddenly feels the nauseating pull he's begun to associate with chakra presence. With a small hiss of victory, Shisui starts running towards the feeling.

A couple of hundred metres away, near the Naka riverbank, he finds the source of the cry. There is a child kneeling in the mud, brown hair half hiding a tear-streaked face. The child is wearing a top that's about three times too large for the slender frame but Shisui doesn't have any trouble seeing the multiple bruises on the tanned skin. Using his speed to overrun his growing panic, he half-flashes to the kid's side and kneels in the mud.

 

"Hey there! I'm Uchiha Shisui! What's your name? Can I help you? You don't look okay. What are those bruises?"

 

The child looks up at him with wide black eyes, surprised etched in distressed features. Shisui keeps quiet but he's learned his lessons well and he recognises the dark, pupileless eyes.

 

"I- I'm Nara Shikaichi," the kid says, confirming his guess. "N-nice to meet you, Shisui-san."

Shisui giggles. "Don't call me that, how old are you anyway?"

"I'm six."

"See? You're even older than me! No need to sound like our parents, right?"

 

Shikaichi shrugs and looks at the river, cradling an obviously broken wrist closer.

 

"So, can I help you? I'm not very good at it but I know how to wrap a broken arm!"

"I'm fine!" Shikaichi looks suddenly terrified. "I'm fine, don't worry about me. You should go back to your Compound."

Shisui frowns. "Yeah, but what about you? I can't leave you here! Hey, how about I carry you to the Nara lands?"

"No!"

 

The shout startles Shisui who flinches back, wide-eyed surprise on his young face. Shikaichi looks as dumb-founded as him, before the child's face twists in an ugly way. The expression stays for less than a second but it's enough for Shisui to catch it.

 

"Shikaichi, are you sure you're okay? I won't tell, promise! But maybe I can help, you know?"

"I-I..."

 

Shikaichi looks around quickly, tears spilling once more from the Nara's eyes. Before Shisui can even think about a way to comfort his new acquaintance, Shikaichi jumps up and bolts towards the forest. Shisui might be the fastest kid in the academy, but he doesn't know the woods like Shikaichi seems to do. He doesn't make it past the forest's border before all trace of the older kid is gone.

 

 

 

Shisui doesn't see Shikaichi again until October 10th, year 89 after Founding. It's the night where the Kyūbi is let loose and half of the village is destroyed in the attempt of sealing it back. It's also the night Konoha stopped seeing the Uchiha as one of them (if they ever did, considering the ever-present animosity against them) and started wondering if perhaps they were behind the fox's attack.

The village is a bundle of broken buildings and smoke when the sun rises, the Nine-Tails sealed for two hours when they start looking for survivors. Shisui is ten, a chūnin by now and responsible for a two-men squad. The three of them are shifting a huge piece of concrete when Shikaichi arrives. There is nothing kept about the Nara's appearance and yet Shikaichi manages to look calmly bored. Shisui is immediately annoyed by the obvious disrespect someone must have for the dead in order to look as deeply uninspired as the Nara is.

Shikaichi is handing over bottles of water to clear the dust in the rescuers throat, and as soon as Shisui takes the offered bottles, Shikaichi leaves. Shisui tries to forget the sour taste in his mouth at the disappointment. He never got to know Shikaichi after all, maybe the Nara is simply not what he expected.

 

 

 

The next time they meet, Shisui is coming back from the last battle Konoha forces will ever fight in the Third War. At that time, though, Shisui doesn't know that, none of them do, and they're coming back thinking they'll leave again soon. The difference, this time, resides in the blood on Shisui's cheeks, and the scream playing in a loop in his mind. Curse the sharingan and its ability to freeze a memory forever in the user's brain. Akira is dying again and again and his last scream pierces Shisui's heart every time.

He's the only Uchiha coming back from this particular battle and no one has approached him so far regarding the new spin in his blood-red eyes. He's not stupid, he knows what that means. It doesn't matter, though. All the power in the world isn't worth losing Akira, watching him die in his arm and waiting for his last breath, before going back and fighting his way through victory. They had to leave his body in the blood and grime, amongst hundreds of unnamed corpses. Shisui feels sick.

Fugaku is waiting for them at the gates, a small boy behind him. He looks a lot like Mikoto, and Shisui has no problem identifying him as the heir. The Clan Head looks stern, an unmovable force waiting for the squad to reach the village. Shisui immediately goes to Fugaku and barely glances back at the men and women with him. In those moments, he's glad to be from a clan which values loyalty and protecting their own before the rest of the village. As selfish as it sounds, it's what he needs right now.

 

"I'm home," Shisui whispers, his eyes somewhere on Fugaku's shoes.

"Welcome back. I am sorry for your loss but we need to discuss this new development as soon as possible. Follow me."

 

Fugaku turns around and starts walking towards the new Uchiha District, freshly built after the Kyūbi's attack. It's barely been three months and the village looks good as new, if you're not an Uchiha. Because if you are, it only looks distant and unwelcoming, just like its people.

 

"Wait!"

 

The shout has them turn around, Shisui reaching for his tantō on instinct, his feet vibrating under him at the strain of waiting to use the shunshin. Fugaku raises an eyebrow at the gangly teenager walking towards them. Shisui has to bite back a snarl when he recognises the slouch and the bored look.

 

"Sorry to bother you, Uchiha-sama, but the Hokage wants to debrief Shisui."

"Can't it wait? We have clan business to discuss."

Shikaichi shrugs. "Dunno. He told me to come and fetch him, so I came."

"Well then, I believe we'll come with you, Shisui."

 

Fugaku walks up to Shikaichi and almost reaches for the Nara's shoulders, as if to invite the teenager to take the lead. Shisui is glaring holes into Shikaichi's back, and that's why he doesn't miss the flinch following Fugaku's aborted gesture. Judging from his Clan Head's tight jaw, he didn't miss it either.

 

"Lead the way... ?"

"Nara Shikaichi, Uchiha-sama."

"Oh. Well then."

 

The pause has Shisui raising his head, taking in Fugaku's expression. It's unreadable, as is usual on the man's face, but the tenseness has reached his posture. Shisui concentrates back on Shikaichi, and here they are, carefully hidden underneath the green top the Nara is wearing. It's a good job, admittedly, but he has spinning blood-red eyes won in the screams of his best friend, and he's never going to miss something again. And so he sees them. The bruises he had noticed, so long ago on a riverbank, are still glaringly purple against Shikaichi's brown skin.

Before he can ask anything though, they reach the tower and Shikaichi disappears in a corridor. Shisui grits his teeth and goes to debrief the battle. The bruises, somewhere in the back of his mind, are screaming with Akira's voice.

 

 

 

The fourth time, Shisui only vaguely remembers it. He ends up in the hospital after taking a stupid risk during a mission. He's in and out of it, the severe concussion making him dizzy at the best of times. They're rolling his bed from the intensive care to the common wing when his eyes fall on a hunched back. The door is open, likely by mistake, and Shikaichi is facing the opposite side where a doctor is talking with a deep frown on his wrinkled face.

He can't see Shikaichi's face or hear a response, but his eyes follow the naked back where deep, white scars are bumping underneath fresh skin. He doesn't remember passing out, but when he wakes up again, he's in the common wing and the Nara is nowhere to be seen.

 

 

 

They keep crossing path on and off during the following years. Sometimes it's at the mission desk, then it changes for the Tower's corridors when Shisui is promoted to jōnin and gets his mission from the station. They watch each other from afar, brushing shoulders in the market or at the library. Shisui doesn't know what to make of Shikaichi, a slouched figure always hidden in the shadows. He can't shake off the feeling that he's missing something, and yet he never approaches the Nara.

It all changes because of circumstances. Shisui knows himself and Shikaichi would have stayed a bitter taste in his mouth if the world hadn't decided to put them on each others' path.

The Uchiha District is still connected to the Nara forest, the only thing separating the two lands being the Naka river. Shisui goes there, sometimes, when he can't seem to be clean and the only thing keeping him from scratching his skin off is the freezing water of the river. He doesn't want to admit he hopes to find someone there, waiting for him. It's one of those nights, when the moon is high and his tears are hidden in the water pouring out of his hair as he emerges from the river.

Shisui slowly lies, floating on his back with his spinning eyes locked on the sky. Turning off his sharingan is a rare occurrence now, and he's grown so accustomed to the distorted way in which the world moves that he almost doesn't notice anymore. It does help with the perception, though, and he sees a moving shape in the woods a full minute before Shikaichi actually appears through the trees.

He stays completely silent when it becomes clear that he hasn't been noticed. Shikaichi is shaking, a full-body shiver that makes Shisui want to wrap his arms around the terror that has taken human form. He doesn't make a sound after Shikaichi falls knees first on the ground, heaving violently. The brand-new chūnin vest makes for a sharp contrast with Shikaichi's brown skin, because it's the only thing covering the bruises right now.

Then he hears the first sob and he can't take it. He knows he must look ridiculous, fully dressed and drenched in cold water, but Shisui flickers to Shikaichi's side anyway. The Nara startles badly and falls back, the panic only growing stronger.

 

"W-What are, ah," Shikaichi barely manages to whisper.

"Hey, look at me. You're having a panic attack. You need to calm down."

"I'm- I-"

Shisui kneels in turn, sharingan vanishing immediately. "Shikaichi, breathe."

 

The order seems to do it, because Shikaichi stays quiet and starts focusing on inhaling a shaky breath. Shisui nods and waits until he doesn't hear anymore hiccups before slowly extending a hand.

 

"Let me help you."

"You can't," Shikaichi states, staring at the hand like it's a rabid dog.

"Try me. I'm a jōnin, I've proven I can take care of myself."

Shikaichi laughs, a wheezing sound that makes Shisui shudder. "You're thirteen, there's nothing you can do for me."

"Try me," Shisui says again through gritted teeth.

"Forget it."

 

Shikaichi tries to get up but stumbles and Shisui rushes to grab the Nara's shoulders. The next thing he knows, there is a kunai stuck deep in his forearm and he's crying out in pain.

 

"Oh gods! I'm so sorry!"

 

Shisui swears, quickly wiping the tears of surprised pain rolling down his cheeks. He braces himself and goes for the kunai, but as soon as his hand brushes the handle, he hisses in pain and stops. He closes his eyes and groans.

 

"I can't, gods, you do it!"

"What?"

Shisui growls. "Do it!"

 

Shikaichi swallows and gently takes his injured arm, checking briefly that Shisui is still okay with it. He grits his teeth and looks away. Shikaichi frowns and wraps a hand around the handle, pulling hard a second later. The kunai gives and Shisui groans, panting hard as soon as the weapon is out. The Nara rummages a second in the pouch strapped to the chūnin-issued pants (as new as the jacket) and takes out a roll of yellowish bandages.

 

"It's calendula, nothing more. I'm going to wrap it around, okay?"

"Sure, go ahead. I'm just bleeding out here."

The teen huffs. "Hardly. I could have cut your hand off if I had pushed hard enough."

"Trust me, I'm not going to complain."

"I really am sorry, Uchiha."

 

Shisui shrugs, wincing when it jostles his arm, still in the other's quick hands. Now that he can look at Shikaichi, really look, he can't help but notice the small cuts and scratches on top of the bruises, now a familiar sight. He's not stupid, and most of all, he's a jōnin. They teach that kind of things. He probably knows forty ways to kill a man and knows exactly where those injuries come from. That doesn't mean he wants to think about it.

 

"I should have known better than to touch you after a panic attack."

"You meant well." And there it is, the bored look again, the facade and the deflection.

"What's going on, Shikaichi? Seriously."

"Don't play dumb," the teen growls. "I know you've seen the bruises."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"What do you think?"

 

The shout startles Shisui and he draws his arm back as soon as Shikaichi jumps back, a furious shadow in the eyes.

 

"I think someone is hurting you and you're letting them. I think it's no way to treat a Konoha shinobi. I also think those are the same bruises I saw five years ago, and it absolutely is _no way_ to treat a child."

"I'm not a child."

Shisui frowns. "You're not, and you are. Just like me. We're paid to kill, Shikaichi, and we're also expected to come home and play with the youngest in our clans."

 

Suddenly, it's like all the fight has been drained out of Shikaichi. The Nara drops next to Shisui and they stay there, shoulder to shoulder, staring at the Naka river.

 

"It's my mother."

 

Shisui grits his teeth, biting back an insult at the despicable woman who dares lay a hand on her own child.

 

"Why don't you say anything?"

Shikaichi shrugs. "She's the Clan Head's sister. No one cares."

"Bullshit. You can't tell me the Nara Clan, known for their wisdom, intelligence and medical knowledge, wouldn't care about it."

Shikaichi glares at him. "Do I look discreet to you? Have I ever been hiding my skin?"

 

Shisui doesn't say anything, remembering the times he's seen the bruises in broad daylight.

 

"Everyone knows, Uchiha, even your Clan Head. I told you. No. One. Cares."

"I care."

Shikaichi snorts. "Lucky me."

"No, you don't get it, Shikaichi. _I care_."

 

He's furious, he knows he is, but how could he not? He suddenly understands why they ask him to look after Itachi and Sasuke. They need the shinobi to keep some semblance of humanity. Because right now, all Shisui wants is to turn his mangekyo on the village until someone makes things right.

When Shikaichi speaks, it's with a surprisingly small voice.

 

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll make them care too," he growls. "I remember a child crying on a riverbank and trying to convince me everything was fine. That's not the village I swore to protect."

"... Thank you," Shikaichi whispers after a moment.

"Don't worry, dude. In a way, I swore to protect you too."

 

Shikaichi laughs, uncaring about the tears shining under the night sky. Shisui takes it in stride and smiles too, not exactly catching himself in time before blurting:

 

"Oh, by the way. Please don't be offended," he says with a pout, "but I have no idea if you're a boy or a girl."

 

Shikaichi stares at him with wide eyes for a long time, not answering. Then:

 

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure?"

"I have no idea either."

Shisui blinks. "How's that possible?"

"I don't know. I don't know and I don't want to think about it, I guess."

Shisui blinks again. "Okay."

"Okay?"

"I mean, I kill people for a living and I can spit giant fireballs, so _that_ isn't going to stop me from sleeping at night."

 

Shikaichi laughs again, looking so relieved Shisui can't help but mentally pat himself on the back. They deserve a little happiness and he's glad to be the one to provide it to the Nara.

 

"Hey, wanna train with me tomorrow?"

"Sure, could be fun," Shikaichi says carefully, like they don't want to show how much the idea pleases them.

"Cool! Meet you at the third training ground at dawn!"

 

He gets up to leave, but Shikaichi grabs him by the arm and effectively stops him.

 

"Wait! What are you going to do?"

Shisui frowns, his mouth a determined line. "I'm going to speak to my uncle. I'll even kick your uncle's ass if I have to, but things are going to change."

"Okay," they say softly. "Okay."

"Don't worry your pretty head about it, Nara. You'll be fine."

"I trust you."

 

 

 

From then on, it's not a matter of when they meet, and more of when they don't. It becomes practically impossible to find one without the other, no matter how much it seems to unsettles, or in some cases, piss off some people. Except now, Shisui's house is the one Shikaichi runs to when they don't know how to deal with the hurt in their heart, when they don't have the strength to bandage their wounds. Shisui never says anything about the bruises, patches Shikaichi up while talking about this awesome new jutsu he just tried and how cute little Sasuke is in his new custom-made kimono.

Shikaichi talks about their cousin, a genius even amongst the brightest minds of the clan, and how they can't bear to see him. Because Shikamaru is happy, cared for by a loving family and all Shikaichi knows is the smack of a hand on the cheek when they don't react fast enough at one of their mother's orders. It's glaringly obvious that they'd like to know Shikamaru better, but seeing him is like facing everything that is wrong in Shikaichi's life with a bright smile on top.

Shisui loathes to say he doesn't have as much time as he'd like to care for his friend. Konoha's politics are chaotic, with the death of the Sandaime and the appointment of Shimura Danzō. He still can't believe the Hyūga left. They're one of the oldest clans in the village, almost as old as the Uchiha, and certainly on par with them in terms of power. Yet, they were drawn away from Konoha and that is something Shisui has a hard time getting behind.

His relation to the Head family means he hears a lot of things. He was too young to be a proper player when there were talks of an uproar, whispers of a coup against Sarutobi. Not only is he now old enough, but his rank proves a sufficient credential for the Uchiha Elders.

Shisui is glad the coup isn't an option anymore, or not in the sense it would have been a year ago. He can safely say Itachi's retirement was one of the best days of his life. He had suffered from watching his cousin decaying a little bit more with each mission he took. The calm smile Itachi is sporting every time he leaves the daycare is a strong reminder of what they almost missed.

Now that they're talking about taking action against Danzō, Shisui has to interact with the Inuzuka kids more than ever before in his life. They're bright, for all of their clan's reputation, and Shisui is happy to escort them when needed.

It's one of the rare moments he can spend with Shikaichi. They meet often, but not long enough to properly enjoy a conversation. Escorting the Inuzuka allows them to spend time in each other's company without drawing too much attention or impinging on their obligations to their respective clans.

It's a good compromise while it lasts, and both Shikaichi and Shisui enjoy it immensely.

Until Shikaichi misses one of their meetings and fails to respond to his hawks and summons.

If it were anyone else, Shisui wouldn't worry. Shinobi duty can be heavy and unexpected missions aren't uncommon, especially for chūnin of Shikaichi's calibre. His friend has special circumstances, however, and Shisui isn't about to start trusting the situation to resolve itself, not after he's seen the state Shikaichi sometimes finds themselves in.

And because Shisui is anything but not cautious, he informs his uncle.

 

"What do you mean, missing?"

Shisui crosses his arms. "You know very well what Shikaichi handles every day, oji-san."

"I fail to see how it's any of your business."

"They're my friend!"

Fugaku frowns. "We are not to meddle with business from the other clans."

"I am caring for someone who is precious to me. Being a Nara has nothing to do with it."

"Then do what you must, there is no reason for you to involve me."

"How can you stand by and let it happen? What would you say if an Uchiha treated their child this way?"

"Ah, but Shikaichi isn't an Uchiha now, are they?"

"Oji-san!"

Fugaku sighs. "I understand your concern, Shisui, but there's nothing I can do-"

"But-"

"Officially," Fugaku continues like he hasn't been interrupted, "I'm stuck by my position. It doesn't mean I can't sanction a request for help on your part. We don't need to specify anything."

Shisui breathes in relief. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, brat. Bring them back in one piece and we'll be even."

 

 

 

Shisui expected something awful. His wildest nightmares where nothing to the harsh reality of Shikaichi's unconscious form in one of the Nara's private training grounds.

What's worth is, they don't look that bad. No injuries, barely a bloody scratch. His sharingan tells him a different story. Kō and Shige are standing besides him, a soft surprised gasp the only sound they allow themselves.

Shikaichi is tied to a training pole, chakra suppressant seals sticking to the skin of their arms. They look sickly pale, gaunt cheeks on a tired face. Shikaichi looks distinctly starved.

Shisui doesn't waste time and cuts the rope bounding his friend, before ripping the seals off. Kō carefully lifts the Nara and the three of them leave quietly. Shisui is past hoping no one saw them, but he wants to avoid a dispute between their clans in the eve of the makeshift revolution the Uchiha and Inuzuka are planning.

Shige disappears a few steps after they've left the compound and Shisui thanks her silently when they find medics waiting for them in the Uchiha District when they arrive.

 

As they settle Shikaichi into a spare bedroom, Shisui sees his uncle leaving with a furious look on his face, and for the first time in weeks, he feels like he can finally breathe. When Shikaichi's eyes flutter open, a few hours later, Shisui makes sure to present his friend the warmest smile he's capable of.

As long as they're together, they'll be just fine. And he'll do his damn best to make sure nothing gets between them again.

 

 

 


End file.
